First Shearing Attempt

So today I tried to shear Elsa. Elsa was not in the best condition when we got her and had wool break. She is feeling much better now with proper nutrition and love and enjoys life on the farm. But I wanted to shear the fleece that she has grown so that next year it's not all wasted.

In preparation for shearing, I watched countless videos on hand shearing sheep, went and saw Kevin Ford shear at a local farm, and had the right equipment ready to go. I charged in thinking "This is just a test run, not too worried about second cuts." "I can handle the sheep!" Well it was a good thing I wasn't worried about second cuts because for the most part that's what I got! The belly went well, but when I got to the left flank I had trouble getting my blade through the fleece. Elsa was patient with me leaning her against my legs and we managed to get part of it done.

After 30 minutes of trying to cut her fleece and only pulling off small pieces of wool, I took a break. After this experience, I have tremendous respect for the skill it really takes to shear sheep and the value of having a professional shear your sheep! Elsa and I will be trying again soon! I can do it!